Clothing having interchangeable and reversible sections

ABSTRACT

A lower body garment such as shorts or pants are separable into two complementary halves, each including a decorative element. The garment can convert into two distinct and unique wearable garments. A lower body garment can also include independently reversible complementary halves capable of converting into eight distinct and unique wearable garments.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to clothing whose appearance can be modified by the wearer, and more particularly to shorts and trousers having interchangeable reversible and removable sections which can be arranged based on the likes of the wearer.

2. Description of the Related Art

In today's fashion conscious environment, kids and adults alike seek uniqueness when it comes to clothing. While off the rack items still sell, most customers long for a way to put their own personality into the clothing they wear.

There are many known products for separable clothing, including:

U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,435 which describes pants having legs formed of multiple releasable horizontal bands, some or all of which can be removed to shorten the legs incrementally from full length to short shorts. Unlike the present invention they are not separable at the crotch into left and right pant legs, and their style range is limited because it always includes physical banding of the legs.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,828 describes pants with a slide fastener from the front to the back waistband for allowing women to use a toilet without removing the pants; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,223 describes pants which are separable at the crotch.

Although the above noted patents are directed towards clothing and pants in particular, there remains a need for providing clothing which can be mixed and matched into a virtually unlimited set of unique garments based on the desires of the wearer and the activity they wish to perform while wearing the garment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a lower body garment, such as shorts or pants. One embodiment of the present invention can include reversible first and second side parts connected along the crotch by a removable seam such that the side parts can be matched with other side parts, and the inside portion thereof can be worn on the outside and vice versa. Another embodiment of the present invention can include decorative markings in order to allow a user to convert the same side parts into two distinct wearable garments.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention can include independently reversible first and second side parts capable of converting the same side parts into eight distinct and unique wearable garments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a front illustration of interchangeable and reversible shorts that is useful for understanding the invention disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side by side view of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 a illustrates a front view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Although the embodiments disclosed within this disclosure are directed to short pants or “shorts”, the inventive concepts can be applied to other types of clothing such as pants, jackets and shirts, for example, without deviating from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiments disclosed herein are merely illustrative of a best mode, as required.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of interchangeable and reversible shorts that is useful for understanding the inventive concepts disclosed herein. As shown, shorts 10 can include a left leg 11, a right leg 12, a releasable seam 13, a waistband 14 and an optional pocket 15.

The releasable seam 13 can run along the inside periphery of both the left leg 11 and right leg 12. In one preferred embodiment, seam 13 can stop just below the waist 14 in the front side of the shorts order to allow for easy access. Additionally, the releasable seam 13 can include a slide fastener (zipper) having a reversible slide which can be operated from both the inside and outside directions in order to removably connect the left and right legs together along the center (crotch) of the shorts.

Although described above as including a zipper, other fastening means are also contemplated including, but not limited to: hook and loop fasteners (VELCRO), compression fittings, buttons, tie strings, straps and/or magnetic elements, which can be sewn into or onto the periphery of the fabric. Additionally, an optional flap (not shown) can be positioned to cover the releasable seam. Such a flap can consist of additional material extending from the legs 11 and 12, respectively in order to hide the seam and to provide additional comfort to the user.

As shown in FIG. 1, both the left leg 11, and the right leg 12 can include decorative markings designated as A and B, respectively. These markings are used for illustrative purposes to represent that each leg has a distinctive characteristic. As used throughout this specification, decorative markings can include individual and distinct design patterns, markings, colors and/or materials which may be selected by the wearer.

Optional pocket(s) 15 can be permanently or removably secured to either leg of the shorts 10. As used herein, pocket 15 can include a cloth enclosure (or opening) having the same or different design pattern as the leg to which it is attached. Moreover, pocket 15 can further include the ability to be securely closed in order to prevent the contents deposited therein from being inadvertently removed. Finally, pocket 15 can include features specific to the activity to which the user is contemplating. For instance, pocket 15 can include a waterproof liner or be constructed from waterproof material in order to be utilized in garments where the user intends to get wet. Pockets such as these being well known in the art, no further description will be provided.

FIG. 2 illustrates the reversibility of the shorts 10, described above. As shown, shorts 10 can be turned inside out in order to reveal a second set of markings located on the opposite side of the legs 11 and 12. As shown, leg 11 a can include decorative marking C, and leg 12 a can include decorative marking D. Although illustrated as distinct markings, one of skill in the art will recognize that markings C and D can also be identical to markings A and B or vice versa.

Accordingly, a pair of reversible shorts as described above can allow a user to wear up to two unique combinations with a single pair of shorts. The combination includes:

-   -   1. AB and     -   2. CD

FIGS. 3 and 3 a illustrate an alternative embodiment of reversible shorts described above in which there is no dedicated front or back sides. To this end, shorts 30 can position the releasable seam 13 along the inside periphery of both the left and right legs forming a crotch area. Moreover, owing to the connectability of each leg of the shorts, it is possible to reverse only one leg such that the resulting outfit can consist of a left leg 11 or 11 a paired with either a right leg 12 or 12 a in any combination.

Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 3 a, a pair of reversible shorts including the above disclosed features can allow a user to wear up to eight unique combinations (by having no dedicated front of back side) with a single pair of shorts, also illustrated in FIG. 3. The combination includes:

-   -   1. AB     -   2. CD     -   3. AD     -   4. CB     -   5. BA     -   6. DC     -   7. DA     -   8. BC

Although described above with respect to a single pair of shorts, the inventive concepts disclosed herein are not so limiting. To this end, FIG. 4 illustrates that shorts having interchangeable and reversible sections, as described above, can be interchanged with an infinite number of other shorts 40 having an equally infinite number of decorative markings (X1-Xz). To this end, with each new pair of shorts a user obtains, it becomes possible to mix and match the interchangeable sections in an ever increasing number of unique combinations based solely on the likes and dislikes of the user.

Accordingly, shorts such as these can be made available as pairs or as single side sections which can be mixed and matched into a virtually unlimited set of unique garments based on the desires of the wearer and the activity they wish to perform while wearing the garment.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. 

1. A lower body garment, such as shorts or pants, comprising: a first side part configured to cover a portion of the waist and leg of a user, said first side part having an inside portion and an outside portion; a second side part configured to cover a portion of the waist and leg of a user said second side part having an inside portion and an outside portion, wherein said first and second side parts are complementary to each other, and each part includes a waistband positioned atop a leg portion and a crotch portion; a seam configured to removably secure each of said first and second parts together to form a wearable garment, said seam extending from an area below the waistband and running along a periphery of the crotch of both the first and second side parts, and wherein said first and second side parts are configured to be reversible such that the inside portion can be worn on the outside and vice versa.
 2. The lower body garment of claim 1, further comprising: at least one decorative element disposed on both the inside portion and outside portion of the first and second side parts.
 3. The lower body garment of claim 2, wherein said decorative element includes at least one of a design pattern, a color, a texture and a material.
 4. The lower body garment of claim 3, wherein each of said inside portion and outside portion of the first side part, and the inside portion and outside portion of the second side part include a decorative element that is different.
 5. The lower body garment of claim 4, wherein said garment can convert into two distinct and unique wearable garments.
 6. The lower body garment of claim 1, further comprising: one or more pockets.
 7. The lower body garment of claim 5, wherein said one or more pockets include a waterproof portion.
 8. The lower body garment of claim 1, wherein said seam includes at least one of a zipper, hook and loop, compression fitting, magnetic element drawstring, or button.
 9. The lower body garment of claim 1, wherein each of said first and second side parts are configured to be removably secured to a plurality of additional side parts.
 10. A lower body garment, such as shorts or pants, comprising: a first side part configured to cover a portion of the waist and leg of a user, said first side part having an inside portion and an outside portion; a second side part configured to cover a portion of the waist and leg of a user said second side part having an inside portion and an outside portion, wherein said first and second side parts are complementary to each other, and each part includes a waistband positioned atop a leg portion and a crotch portion; a seam configured to removably secure each of said first and second parts together to form a wearable garment, said seam extending from the waistband and running along a periphery of the crotch of both the first and second side parts, wherein said first and second side parts are configured to be independently reversible such that an inside portion of the first side part can be secured to the outside portion of the second side part and vice versa, and wherein said wearable garment has no specific front or back side.
 11. The lower body garment of claim 10, further comprising: at least one decorative element disposed on both the inside portion and outside portion of the first and second side parts.
 12. The lower body garment of claim 11, wherein said decorative element includes at least one of a design pattern, a color, a texture and a material.
 13. The lower body garment of claim 12, wherein each of said inside portion and outside portion of the first side part, and the inside portion and outside portion of the second side part include a decorative element that is different.
 14. The lower body garment of claim 13, wherein said garment can convert into eight distinct and unique wearable garments.
 15. The lower body garment of claim 10, further comprising: one or more pockets.
 16. The lower body garment of claim 15, wherein said one or more pockets include a waterproof portion.
 17. The lower body garment of claim 10, wherein said seam includes at least one of a zipper, hook and loop, compression fitting, magnetic element drawstring, or button.
 18. The lower body garment of claim 10, wherein each of said first and second side parts are configured to be removably secured to a plurality of additional side parts. 